Conte safe (for now)
Defiant boss says: I don’t fear sack ... I am different from past Chelsea bosses
WE’VE had the Special One, the Normal One and now the Different One. Antonio Conte certainly hopes it will be different this time.
There is no escaping the predicament he’s in. As much as the Italian tried to convince us he’s not thinking about the sack, even he couldn’t ignore the elephant in the room.
Unprompted, Conte — twice — broached the subject during his post-match briefing.
His ‘see you soon’ to reporters accompanied by an ironic smirk as he completed his media duties following Saturday’s win over Watford spoke volumes.
Conte knows he cannot be totally sure if he’ll see us soon. The smart money would suggest that we will. But history tells us you’re never sure at Chelsea.
Defeat could have spelt the end for Conte. Surviving three consecutive league defeats as a Chelsea manager is a tall order. ‘I am not like the previous managers, I am different,’ he insisted. ‘The club judges the work and, honestly, I don’t have the worry that if I lose a game the club decides to sack me.
‘In the past, the club decided after three bad games to sack a manager. But I don’t think it is the same for every manager. I ask a lot of myself. This is the pressure (I feel). But as for the other pressure, I do not feel it.’
Fighting talk from Conte. But to say he isn’t thinking about the sack? No one’s buying that. However, it seems his players are still on board. Losing 2-1 with less than 20 minutes to go, they could easily have rolled over. But a brace from Michy Batshuayi and a Cesar Azpilicueta goal potentially saved Conte’s job.
It wasn’t convincing, though. And Chelsea skipper Gary Cahill confessed his team are in a difficult moment.
‘It’s easy to play when everything is going well,’ said Cahill. ‘The hardest thing is when things are not going well and you have to dig in. This is one of them.’
While Conte has the backing of his players, convincing the Chelsea hierarchy to keep faith will prove the key to his future.
Similar noises about the Italian’s future came from the Stamford Bridge boardroom just over 12 months ago, and the rest is history.
However, can this Chelsea squad go on another 13-match winning streak? Time will tell. But what we know for certain is that last year’s triumph will count for nothing in Roman Abramovich’s office.